We conduct cutting-edge research and propose policy solutions aimed at improving how our nation prepares, supports and rewards the early care and education workforce to ensure young children’s optimal development.

Below is a chronological list of our published reports. You can also view reports related to one of our four core priorities by clicking on the issues above.

Learning Together: A Study of Six B.A. Completion Cohort Programs in Early Care and Education (Year 3 Report)

By Marcy Whitebook, Fran Kipnis, Laura Sakai, and Mirella Almaraz

The Year 3 interviews of the Learning Together study reveal that the vast majority of students successfully graduated from their B.A. cohort program. Year 3 interviews focused on two issues of concern about higher education programs – the practicum experiences for employed students and the adequacy of attention to working with children from linguistically diverse backgrounds. The graduates overwhelmingly reported that their B.A. classes provided them with skills and strategies needed to communicate with children who speak a language other than their own. While the majority of students reported that their practicum experiences helped them do a better job at their workplace, they also identified several areas for improvement. The Year 3 study also reports on the graduates’ perspectives about support at their jobs for ongoing learning and any changes in employment and/or compensation upon completing their degree.

Workforce Information: A Critical Component of Coordinated State Early Care and Education Data Systems

By Fran Kipnis and Marcy Whitebook

In this report, we examine the early care and education workforce data landscape across the states, focusing on the three main workforce data systems operating across the states, ECE workforce registries, T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood®, and NACCRRAWare/T-TAM. This report also examines the challenges and efforts to align these systems.

Learning Together: A Study of Six B.A. Completion Cohort Programs in Early Care and Education (Year 2 Report)

During the Year 2 interviews of the Learning Together study, the students resoundingly reported that the cohort model enabled them to access and succeed in a B.A.-level education in a way that would not otherwise have been possible. The students reported progress in overcoming the challenges described in the Year 1 report, and decreasing their reliance on some of the program supports as they progressed through the program. The students also identified the importance of employer support in successfully pursuing their educational goals.

Beyond Homes and Centers: The Workforce in Three California Early Childhood Infrastructure Organizations

By Marcy Whitebook, Laura Sakai, and Fran Kipnis

In this study we examined the career backgrounds and professional development needs of those working in child care resource and referral programs and local First 5 commissions and as child care coordinators across the state.

Preparing Teachers of Young Children: The Current State of Knowledge, and a Blueprint for the Future

This two-part paper examines the early care and education (ECE) and K-12 research literature in depth to assess the current state of knowledge about the effective preparation of excellent teachers, and charts a research and policy agenda for the future.

Leadership in Early Childhood: A Curriculum for Emerging and Established Agents of Change

By Marcy Whitebook and Lea Austin

Intended for use in higher education and community leadership-development efforts. the curriculum was piloted in the Mills College M.A. degree program in Early Childhood Leadership. If you are interested in receiving more information about the curriculum, contact us at cscceinfo@berkeley.edu. Include “Curriculum” in the subject line.